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"Agenda?" Aiden asked, curious. He looked at the award Dumbledore had pointed to. "Weren't we just here to study my charm?"
"You little brat!" Miranda Goshawk huffed, but she was mostly amused. She rolled her eyes at Aiden. "Does studying your charm need me to come all this way? You think once your spell is public, us old folks can't learn it ourselves?"
"Alright, Goshawk," Master Wendick said gently, smiling. "He's a promising new face. The future is with these young people."
"Young people, yes," Miranda Goshawk said, suddenly sounding a bit sad. "And it's because we haven't done enough that they have to carry this burden."
"Then," Emery Swich, the Transfiguration expert, suggested, "let the newcomer start. Let's hear what the future looks like to him." He gestured to Aiden.
"Me?" Aiden blinked. All these famous wizards were staring at him. "Er… what am I supposed to say?"
"Why, the main topic for tonight, of course," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling. "The mind."
Seeing all the magical Masters looking at him, Aiden swallowed. He took a breath and began.
"My current research on the mind," he started, his voice getting steadier, "is mostly from my own talent. A wizard's mind seems separate from the soul. That's a key difference between magical and non-magical creatures."
He paused. "Emotions, will, beliefs—they all come from the mind. When we cast magic, we often use emotions to power our minds. But," he added, "that uses a lot of mental energy and can be risky."
Master Adalbert Waffling, a top magical theorist, stroked his beard. "Pure mind power is strong, young man," he said thoughtfully. "But doing magic without any emotion… that's not realistic for most wizards. We always have an intention when we cast. It's instinct. If you lose that, are you still really alive?" He looked sharply at Aiden.
"Hehe, just talent, Professor," Aiden said with a charming, vague smile, dodging the deep question.
Master Emery Swich had another idea. "Since raw mind power is hard to control, maybe we should start simpler. To use it, we first need to observe it. If we can't see it, it's a mystery. What if we could use Transfiguration to show what our minds are doing? Then we could use mind power better." Master Swich, Aiden thought, always came back to Transfiguration.
"No, Transfiguration is too dangerous for that!" Quentin Trimble, the Dark Arts defence expert, protested. "Changing things freely with magic is too close to what the mind is. Trying to show the mind like that… it's risky. We could mess it up, or others could. It could easily become Dark Arts."
Trimble then gave his own idea. "Since will, emotion, and belief are products of mind power, like Mr. Prewett said, maybe we should start with the Patronus Charm. Positive emotions are safer than negative ones."
Miranda Goshawk shook her head. "The 'positive emotion' path has been mostly explored. Even at its best, it's mainly for self-defense. It can't really change the world outside us. My idea," she declared, her eyes shining, "is resonance. One person's mind power is small. But many minds working together… that could shake the world."
"Goshawk, that's too extreme! And very dangerous!" Professor Flitwick exclaimed, looking alarmed. "Resonance means linking minds. Connecting minds like that, without knowing enough… it could be a disaster! Mass panic, loss of self…"
Professor Flitwick then offered his own idea. "Maybe direct attack or defense isn't the first step. We could try healing. We could use a healthy wizard's mind as a model to fix minds damaged by dark magic or illness. Once we understand healing, then we can explore the riskier stuff."
Aiden listened, then pointed out a problem (to Dumbledore, who had mentioned healing in the original script). "But Headmaster Dumbledore," he said respectfully, "healing the mind means knowing when it's 'fixed.' We don't have a standard for a healthy wizard's mind. What if this healing charm is misused? What if it's used to force everyone's mind to be the same?"
Professor Dumbledore (assuming he made the healing remark) paused, looking thoughtful at Aiden's chilling point.
Finally, Master Wendick, who'd been quiet, offered a new idea. "Then why not explore dreams? If studying the waking mind is too hard and dangerous right now… why not look for answers in dreams? Maybe we can find what all minds share in the Collective Unconscious Sea. That might solve many of these problems, right?"
.... And so, the brilliant debate continued ...
The discussion went on for hours. Each Master shared their research. Every idea was like a key, trying to unlock the secrets of the wizard's mind.
Dumbledore listened carefully, sometimes asking questions to guide the conversation deeper.
"Everyone," Dumbledore finally stood up as the meeting was ending. His eyes were deep and thoughtful.
"Our talk today was very valuable. Mind magic is key to understanding our world. But," he smiled gently, "no need to worry too much. At least someone—" he gestured to Aiden— "has already taken the first brave step, haven't they?"
At that moment, Aiden truly understood the real value of his Silencing Charm.
It wasn't just a good spell for stopping curses, or even for countering the Unforgivables.
Its real value was opening a new door for wizards to study how mind and magic work together. It meant wizards might start looking for power inside themselves, not just from outside sources.
These great Masters weren't just here to talk about a counter-spell. They wanted to find a safe way for future wizards to explore mind power.
After the meeting, the Masters left, their minds full of new ideas and hope for magic's future.
Aiden walked back to Hogwarts with Professor Flitwick and Headmaster Dumbledore.
"Well, Aiden? How was the seminar for you?" Professor Flitwick asked, smiling proudly.
"I learned a lot, Professor. It was amazing," Aiden said, and he meant it.
"Good, good!" Flitwick chirped. "Then, I'd like you to write a summary paper of the whole thing. Include your notes and thoughts on what each Master said. Give it to me when you're done. The others are keen to read your take on it." Professor Flitwick suddenly sounded like a very demanding teacher.
"Huh?" Aiden's eyes widened. Another paper? Seriously?
Are these top magic researchers really that short-staffed? Or am I just going to be their go-to kid for all the hard work? Aiden was speechless for a moment.
After the seminar, Aiden's life became a blur: library, classroom, dorm. Repeat.
Luckily, he'd gotten contact info for many of the bigwigs at the seminar. If he got stuck on his paper, he could owl them for help.
Exchanging letters with the Masters, time flew. Finally, just before the end of term, the massive paper was done.
Aiden handed it in and felt a huge wave of relief. Freedom! He was ready to relax and do nothing. But before he could even dream of sleeping for a week, Professor Flitwick found him again, his eyes sparkling with excitement. Oh no, not again.
"Aiden, my boy!" Flitwick said eagerly. "Your idea of the 'Distorted Illusion' from your papers—absolutely brilliant! We must start an experiment in the Illusion itself to study this mind-magic stuff more!"
Aiden felt a headache coming on. The term was almost over! He was about to say no.
But Flitwick, seeing the refusal on Aiden's face, smiled cunningly. "Aiden, if you help with this experiment… I'll teach you how to remove the trace from your wand."
Aiden paused. "Seriously, Professor? A wizard from a wizarding family needs that? I thought the Trace was more for Muggle-borns." He was a bit confused.
Flitwick's smile got wider. "Ah, but with this method, my boy… you won't be found even if you cast spells right in the Muggle world. Totally undetectable." He raised an eyebrow.
Aiden's eyes widened. The possibilities of that… were huge.
"... Deal."
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